More details on Oslo Airport’s 3.5-year expansion

Another round of construction work will start at Oslo Airport on October 1, on an extension project known as Expansion Non-Schengen East (UNSØ).

Project UNSØ, which is part of Oslo Airport Phase 2, comprises the construction of a building of approximately 30,000 m2 linked to the East Pier and associated fixed points and aircraft parking positions.

The NOK 3.3 billion (€344 million) project is scheduled to continue at Gardermoen until the second quarter of 2022.

The current capacity of the area for non-Schengen traffic is 5.5 million passengers per year. After the expansion, capacity will rise to around 8 million passengers a year.

An information meeting for interested suppliers is set for noon on September 19 at the Park Inn Gardermoen. The first contracts for the building work will be announced in February 2019.

“Work on the expansion of the non-Schengen terminal area is starting in October. We are looking forward to getting started and the upcoming competitions to find the best contractors to build the new building,” says Runar Botten, acting project director at the airport operator Avinor.

Non-Schengen growth
Øyvind Hasaas, the airport’s managing director, adds that the expansion is “important to further develop Norway’s main airport as an international hub”.

“It will provide increased capacity and improve conditions for our passengers and airlines, as well as improving the framework conditions for travel, tourism and business in Norway – which is an important part of Avinor’s social mission.”

He clarified that “in recent years there has been significantly greater growth in traffic to and from countries outside of the Schengen Area than in traffic within it. It is absolutely essential that we build good, adapted infrastructure to handle this traffic. This will increase Norway’s competitiveness and provide considerable economic benefits.”